Has anyone tried square foot gardening and if so, how did it work out?

-- Sal (jdavis@vol.com), February 15, 2001

Answers

Sal- I started using the Square Foot Gardening method about 8 years ago, and have had great results. I garden in Florida, in very sandy soil, so this method is especially helpful in conserving resources like water and fertilizer. I did install drip irrigation on a timer because I am away a lot and cannot water by hand, and I sometimes give a little extra room to some plants because my sandy soil is poor. I definitely would recommend this method.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), February 15, 2001.

The only complaint I had with the square foot method was that the tomatoes were too crowded when they grew to full size - the cabbages and broccoli likewise were elbowing each other pretty vigorously. However, last year I spent a total of 20 minutes weeding my beds before the plants smothered the weeds out. The plants eventually overgrew the beds so much that I had a hard time getting down the pathways (raised beds) without stepping on a tomato, potato, or zucchini.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), February 15, 2001.

I have had the same problen as Julie but solved it by expanding the meaning of Sg. Ft. gardening. I put my tomato plants in 12" round flower pots and set them on the back porch and then I expanded my sg.ft. growing area for the climbing type and bush beans,etc. and put my potatos in barrels. You just have to think outside the box!

-- Tom (tjk@cac.net), February 15, 2001.

We've been doing it for about 3 years.

And have been doing swell in Palm Beach FL [where the chads hang out ;} ]. Here's a sample of our garden http://home.att.net/~ofuzzy1/garden.htm it needs to be updated.

Been doing so well that we've just put in a 3'x20' type raised bed garden. The reason for the 3' was that a 4' is just to hard to reach in from one side. And the 20' makes for a nice effiecent use of the frame material. We found a place that sells plastic lumber! It won't rot out in two years or less.

Happy planting!

-- (perry@ofuzzy1.com), February 15, 2001.

We love square foot gardening ever since reading Mel Bartholomews book several years ago. Our beds are 4 x 12. After a year or two there is almost no tilling. We use our mantis to stir in amendments. Since the beds arent walked on, the soil never gets compressed. Weeds pop out easily. Less water,less fertilzer, and more veggies.

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), February 16, 2001.

I had a square foot garden when I lived in town for a few years, and I replicated it out here on the farm last year - much to Pop and Unc's initial disgust! My beds are laid out in a pleasing geometric pattern - with a center 3'x3' bed and then a double set of larger L shaped beds around the four sides of the center box. I tilled up the ground before I set the frames for the beds; after setting them in place, I placed 8-12 sheet thickness of newspaper in the bottoms, covered with well aged manure. I then topped them off with 2 truckloads of purchased topsoil, as our heavy clay soil is hard to work in early spring - not to mention summer and fall!! I then placed flattened cardboard boxes in between the rows and topped it with 5 Dodge Dakota size loads of wood chips from the local tree service.

Pop and Unc were convinced that my idea wasn't so bad after they saw the amound produced by a 27'x27' area - almost 1/2 of which is in pathways - and the fact that is was easy to keep clear of weeds - 'til canning season anyway!!

I don't try to grow sweet corn, melons or pumpkins in the beds - as we grow at least a 1/4 to 1/2 acre of corn each year. I may not put my bush beans in the beds this year either as I need a much larger yield for keeping these guys in canned beans for the winter - I only managed to get enough for 21 pints after we ate all we wanted fresh. I also noted that my wax beans produced twice as many beans as my green beans, although I planted the exact same amount of each kind.

Covers; with plastic for season extending, chicken wire for the bug patrol or netting to protect the crops, are easy to make from PVC and pipe straps. I only use beds that are 3 feet wide as I am only 4' 10" tall and slightly roly-poly! I can sit on my bottom in the pathways and easily reach the centers (and more) without too much leaning!

I plan to extend my original garden this year with another 27'x27' raised bed/ square foot section - this one to house a grape arbor/tea house (with supports and cover for barn swallow nests) and 4 fruit trees plus some small perennial fruits. If I have enough money, I will expand it once again in the same size with beds arranged around my chicken tractor. That will leave me room enough to put in two or threee rows of raspberries - or a few more fruit trees - between the last garden and the clothesline.

Now - where am I gonna put those darn herb beds?? Square foot, of course!!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), February 16, 2001.

Neil & I were doing square foot gardening in PA before we even knew what it was called. The first year, in my ignorance and enthusiasm, I planted cucumbers, zucchini, and canteloupes, all in the same 8X6 area..wheeeee, what fun was that? I recall thinking that the seeds would not all germinate, so..no problem. After we knew what we were doing, we had the best garden around with amazing yields, although as someone else said already, the veggies sometimes decided to travel out of the box and onto the path...we plan on doing the same thing here in Alabama, but will give the cukes and zucchini their own "space'..LOL God bless

-- Lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), February 16, 2001.

Were doing everything SFG this season, except the tomatoes. Those are going around compost rings (5 of them for a total of 20 plants) outside the SFG. A variation I added was 2 ft wide walks so I can get in with a chair . Were so happy with the technique, we got rid of our tillers after preping the site.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 16, 2001.

My largest garden was 60'x40' (7 raised beds 4'wide 60'long) with a stepping path only where needed to cross the beds, I planted sunflowers for hose guides,and a trellis down the middle of the bed, (top and bottom wires with supporting post)adding string or net as needed, all hand worked, square foot by the book.Can't think of a better way.

-- Thumper (slrldr@aol.com), February 16, 2001.